Towards a model of university- aided technologically driven community development Marcellus Mbah * Abstract Over the past couple of decades, African universities have been considered to possess the capacity needed to enhance the development of the continent and its residential communities. In spite of this consideration, Africa as a continent still lags behind the rest of the world in terms of the quality of its institutions and its ability to meet the needs of ordinary people who desire a better social life. Given this context, this article calls for a re-assessment of African universities’ attempts to address the need for community development. It proceeds from the concept of engagement to highlight the relevance of a university’s technological competence to community development. Drawing on a single interpretive case study, this article argues that African universities can deploy their technological competence and resources within the framework of civic responsibility but also reciprocity to address a wide range of community concerns affecting the livelihood of the citizenry. The analysis of data collected from a bounded system in Cameroon suggests that by widening participation to identify or construct, diffuse and apply relevant technologies for community development, African universities can improve the capacities of community residents, stimulate growth in agricultural yields, foster sustainability and competitiveness of economic activities and improve the living condition of ordinary people. Introduction The current strategic plan of the Association of African Universities (AAU) 2011 –2015 asserts that AAU’s mission is to enhance the quality and relevance *Address for correspondence: Marcellus Mbah, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK; email: marcellusmbah@gmail.com & Oxford University Press and Community Development Journal. 2014 All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com doi:10.1093/cdj/bsu056 Advance Access Publication 12 November 2014 Community Development Journal Vol 50 No 3 July 2015 pp. 463– 477 463 at Bournemouth University on October 20, 2016 http://cdj.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from